Specially selected educational toys are important for 3 year olds because at the age of 3, children are at a crucial stage of development, and various skills should be nurtured to support their overall growth. A child’s future depends entirely on the foundation made at this age. The following skills should be developed at this age.
1. Toys For Developing Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor skills are the use of the smaller muscle of the hands and wrists to complete tasks. Fine motor skills are one of the most important developmental activities that your child or student will ever work on. Recent research suggests that fine motor skills are so important that they are connected to how a child learns to read, completes math skills, and other higher-level cognitive thinking (Grissmer, Grimm, Ayer, Murrah, and Steele (2010)). Fine motor skill is a lifelong skill benefiting activities such as Reading, Handwriting, Math and Executive Functions in later life.
Simple Take Apart Toy with Screwdriver
At 3 years of age, simple take apart toy with screwdriver is a great toy for kids to develop fine motor skills and it helps to cognitive development. Here you should take care to get a very simple one that is not too complicated for the child. Because the child is still 3 years old, it should be given according to that age. It is advisable to choose a toy like the one in the picture above. A toy with 3 or 4 parts and plastic nuts. This toy gives your child a good opportunity to do hand-eye coordination activities.
Enhance Fine Motor Skills with Melissa & Doug’s Wooden Lacing Beads!
This Melissa and Doug bead set helps kids develop fine motor skills. The set includes 30 wooden beads, 2 laces, and a storage case. Beads come in five shapes, easy for little hands. Kids from 3 to 5 years will love it as a gift. If your child is not inspired, give us a call. Our wooden bead play set is designed to the highest quality standards. Add the Lace and Trace set for more fun. This promotes hand-eye coordination, a key benefit.
Building Blocks
Block play requires fine and gross motor skills. Blocks enhance children’s problem-solving abilities, mathematics skills, and language and literacy abilities. And constructing “creations” builds self-esteem and feelings of success.
Magnetic building tiles also a good choice for 3 year olds.
Washable Finger Paints for Drawing and Coloring
Toddlers can learn, discover, and grow their motor skills and emotional skills through sensory play like finger painting. This will be helping kids to be creative when they are playing with colors and they randomly draw patterns and they feel the cool, squishy texture of the paint. With all of these, children can express their emotions through this activity.
Of course, drawing with your fingers is awesome and kids also improve their fine motor skills when they paint with their fingers, which helps them learn to write later on. At 3 years old, toddlers love to work with paints. Still they are not drawing properly but it’s a great activity for develop fine motor skills and sensory development. Apart from this, imagination and creativity is also improved.
2. Toys For Developing Gross Motor Skills
Gross motor skills are those which needed whole body movement and which involve the large muscles of the body to perform everyday tasks, such as standing, walking, running and jumping.
Woodtoe Wooden Baby Walker Toys Wagon
Toddlers can put teddies, blocks, cars or dinosaurs in the wagon and move them all around the house.
When we are looking at wooden push walker and toy wagon, the pros of these is that with the lightweight ones like this are really easy for your baby to move around and negotiate corners. It’s speed is adjustable.
Inflatable Jumping & Bouncer Riding Horse
Does your child love to bounce? This is the perfect toy for kids ages 2–4. Kids love bouncing on this toy for hours. It is a great sensory input, and it’s just a great overall toy to get out their energy. It’s easy to fill up, and it’s made of very thick vinyl that won’t pop. It can be used inside or outside, and honestly, it’s a great alternative in the winter when you can’t play outside.
Balls For 3 Year Olds
Balls are another great toys for toddlers to improve gross motor skills. There are soft balls specially made for toddlers to enjoy. You can introduce your kids to sports with these foam balls for toddlers. When children play with balls, they run to the ball and try to catch the ball with their hands. It will improve their gross motor skills.
3. Toys For Developing Cognitive Skills
Cognitive development is the process by which a child acquires the skills of thinking, reasoning and using language which are essential for the child’s overall development. Cognitive skills are improved by providing toys that make the child think, such as puzzles, assembly toys, shape sorters.
LEGO DUPLO Sets For 3 Year Olds
LEGO Duplo sets are educational playsets that develop the cognitive skills of your child.
This LEGO Steam train is a good educational toy for kids age 3. Push and Go motor starts the train moving when kids give a little push on the train. There are 5 action bricks for stop, reverse, sound, light and refuel. Kids can experience cause and effect and learn some logical things with action bricks. They can control the flow of train with the action bricks. You can have an interactive learning session with the child using LEGO Steam train.
Disassembling and reassembling these toys develops the child’s thinking skills. Kids usually loves Backhoe Loaders and Lorries. This Lego Duplo truck and excavator will enables them to be mechanics!!
Usually, LEGO toys can be categorized as STEM toys for toddlers because they encourage kids to think.
Shape Sorter For Toddlers
Shape sorters are another great toy for toddlers to develop cognitive skills.
Pretend Play: Cleaning Set
Cleaning is very cool indoor activity for 3 year olds. This is a more practical pretend play than others because they use real equipment and perform real task performed by adults. Every child wants to do what their parents do.
Puzzles
Kids will have several benefits from puzzle play
- develop hand-eye coordination.
- develop finger and hand muscles.
- learn to solve problems.
- learn to reason and deal with frustration.
- learn to persevere and be patient.
Puzzle play is usually done alone, but can be done in cooperation with others.
4. Toys For Developing Language and Communication Skills, Social and Emotional Development
Pretend Play: Play Tent And Tunnels For Kids
While playing in a play tent, the children will also be jumping, making fast movements, and grabbing items which they want. These kinds of activities are essential for their healthy development and will be helpful in their physical development. Play tent allows kids to develop their language, communication and social skills while playing together. Social skills building toys are very important from the beginning but if you miss it then it is essential to provide it at this age. This play tent activity also helps improve cognitive skills.
Play House
Indoor play house is a great choice at this age to do pretend play.
Summary
These are essential toys for 3 year olds. But now you know that the basic concepts behind these toys are fine motor skill development, gross motor skill development, cognitive development, and other essential skills that we mentioned throughout the article. Apart from giving toys, it is even more important that you make time for your child. No matter how busy you are, spend at least 3 hours a day playing with your child.